Part 24
There's Always Something
By Xanabee
*****
Clark Kent looked down at his sleeping wife with tenderness and concern in his eyes. It had been almost 8:00 p.m. when Bill Henderson, Gareth Keyes and Perry White had left and Lois had finally given in to exhaustion. He had carried her upstairs and even before he’d reached the bedroom Lois had fallen asleep. Clark didn’t want to wake her up now, but Lucy and Lucas were coming over soon and he knew Lois would want to mentally prepare herself for another third degree. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss what they were going to tell the couple and Clark wanted Lois to be fully awake and lucid when Lucy arrived.
After he’d tucked Lois in Clark had taken a quick shower and returned to the kitchen to clean up. He’d called Sam Lane first and then his parents to fill them in about their early morning meeting with the three men. Martha and Jonathan had been appalled to learn that Lois had been exposed to Kryptonite; they’d agreed with Clark that the best thing for Lois to do was not to tell her sister about the Kryptonite.
“Clark, unless you let Lucy in on the secret, Lois can’t tell her it was all an act,” Martha had stated, “She had to lie to Gareth and Bill, but in Lucy’s case, all Lois has to do is tell the truth – she honestly didn’t know what was happening to her at that house.”
“That’s right, son,” Jonathan had added, his concern for Lois and the baby clearly audible in his voice, “She doesn’t have to say that she’s solved the puzzle in the middle of the night.”
“Yes, you did solve it,” Clark whispered admiringly as he gently cupped Lois’s shoulder, “Honey, time to get up… Lucy and Lucas will be here soon.”
Lois stirred as she was slowly being coaxed out of the deep and dreamless sleep by tenderly whispered endearments. She blinked a few times, then smiled sleepily and stretched out her arms invitingly. Clark gathered her up into his arms and cradled her close. He kissed the top of her head and sighed softly, “I’m so sorry, honey, all of this… it’s all my fault.”
Lois tightened her arms around him; she’d known that Clark would have a hard time dealing with what had happened to her at Gordon Keyes’ mansion; she’d known that he’d feel guilty and remorseful because they couldn’t tell Gareth and Bill the truth and that as a result she had been on the receiving end of Gareth’s anger and Bill’s incomprehension.
“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart, it’s not your fault. I can take it, honestly. I just hope that Gareth will be able to forgive me… in time. We’ll talk about it later but first we’ll have to deal with Lucy and Lucas - this will be the longest afternoon of my life! I’d better go take a shower… how much time do I have?”
“About thirty minutes. I thought I’d zip over to China while you get ready and get us a variety of dishes… that should keep them busy for a while.”
Clark scooped Lois up in his arms and walked towards the bathroom while she pressed tiny kisses on his cheek and the corner of his smiling lips.
“Mmm – that sounds heavenly,” Lois grinned up at her husband as he reluctantly put her down. “Now go, I’m ravenous! This morning Perry single-handedly wolfed down all of your pancakes, remember? Gareth and I were too keyed up to eat and Bill was too excited. D’you know if he’s arrested those two guys already? Did he call yet?”
“No – he said it would take a while; he wants to do this completely by the book. He doesn’t want some sleazy lawyer getting them off on a technicality.”
“No, that would be bad. Clark, this is so exciting – we’re about to catch those criminals and Mindy, too!”
“If she takes the bait, honey, I’m not so sure – “
“She will, trust me. Now, stop ogling me and go already!”
“I’m going, I’m going! Geez!” Clark grinned, relieved to see Lois looking so healthy and energetic again after just a few hours of sleep. He’d been so worried – had constantly peeked in on her while she slept, afraid that any lingering effects of her exposure to the Kryptonite would surface again. To Clark, Lois had never looked more beautiful than at this moment, standing naked before him with raised arms, while she tied up her hair into a ponytail with a wide rubber band.
Clark took one last, lingering look before he reluctantly let Lois shoo him out of the bathroom. He spun into the Suit and before Lois had showered and finished getting dressed he was back. When Lois came down Clark had a small plate ready for her with her favorite tidbits to tide her over until they would sit down to enjoy the rest of the sumptuous meal with Lucy and Lucas.
*****
As it turned out Ellen Lane had unconsciously helped to smooth things for Lois by pointing out to Lucy the numerous physical and mental disasters that could befall a pregnant woman - from morning sickness to swollen ankles, from premature birth to post natal depression.
Lucy and Lucas had ended up spending the night at her mother’s apartment where they also had dinner with her parents. After Sam Lane had left, Lucy, Lucas and Ellen had sat for hours talking about the pleasant day at the Kents’ and Lois’s unfortunate and mysterious ‘anxiety attack’.
Ellen, who didn’t know yet that Lois had been exposed to Kryptonite, contributed her daughter’s ‘episode’ to a sudden realization on Lois’s part that her care-free and active professional life was about to end.
“Mother! Do you mean to say that it’s my fault?” Lucy had wailed, “Do I remind her of what she’s about to loose? She told me she’d keep on working!”
“Lucy, don’t be ridiculous! This has nothing to do with you. Lois has had ‘episodes’ on and off since she got pregnant – I’m convinced it’s all hormones. She told me that sometimes she feels as if horrible things are about to happen. She even went to see a psychic one day.”
“A… psychic?! And you let her? Mother!”
Ellen had rolled her eyes. “Don’t be absurd, Lucy, she doesn’t need my permission! Anyway, it’s a friend of hers, named Star - she’s harmless.”
“A fraud more likely,” Lucy had muttered darkly, “And here I was, thinking Clark would take good care of Lois once they got married.”
“He is taking very good care of Lois,” Ellen had defended her son-in law firmly, “He didn’t know and he didn’t like it when Lois went to see Star. But you know your sister, Lucy, she’s headstrong and very impulsive. She’s calmed down a lot since her pregnancy, but she still gets herself into scrapes sometimes.”
So it was a very solicitous Lucy who came to lunch – fussing over her sister and scolding her for holding back on her. “Sis, you never let on that all’s not as well as you made me believe. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Lucy, you live so far away – you’d just worry your head off and what good would that do? Relax – I’m fine. Come and say hello to your niece; she’s kicking… now, put your hand over here… feel that?”
Delighted, Lucy promptly forgot her issues and while she ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘aah-ed’, Clark grinned at Lucas. “That’s our cue to take off, Lucas! Let’s go into the kitchen. Lunch is ready – I just have to pop it into the oven. You like Chinese food, right?”
“I do and so does Lucy.” Lucas, looking a bit dejected, followed Clark into the kitchen. Something in his voice made Clark take a close look at his face.
“Okay, buddy, what’s up? I’m sorry that… um… thing with Lois ruined your visit. What can I say, except that I’m very sorry? Lois didn’t mean – “
“I know, I know! Clark, I don’t blame Lois; I know she didn’t throw a fit on purpose. You guys have always been so supportive of my relationship with Lucy and I had hoped that, when we were here, you know…” Lucas sighed resignedly and took a small case out of his pocket. He flipped it open and Clark stared at the beautiful engagement ring and then at Lucas’s unhappy face.
“You… wanted to ask Lucy to marry you? Here, in Metropolis? That’s great! So why didn’t you?”
Lucas closed the case and shoved it back into his pocket. “We’d planned to stay in a nice hotel and have a romantic dinner together. Then I’d have asked her. We’ve been living together for two years now and I was hoping that if she saw how happy you and her sister are… but Lucy was so upset that we had dinner with her parents instead and ended up spending the night at her mother’s – although, the way Lucy always talks about her mother, I never thought that would ever happen!”
Frustrated, Lucas combed through his hair with one hand. “Oh well, Ellen and Lucy just couldn’t stop talking about Lois. And this morning Lucy said she wasn’t ever going to get pregnant. And I do want to marry her, Clark, and I do want to have a family. Now I don’t know what to do!”
“Go ahead and ask her.” Clark said decisively, “Lois was very skittish too, you know, and whenever I talked about having children she just freaked out. Did Lucy tell you that Lois said ‘no’ when I asked her to marry me? She didn’t? Well, let me tell you, it wasn’t easy sailing at first…”
*****
“Well, well, well,” Inspector Bill Henderson said lazily while he regarded Bertram Bates with amused eyes, “Billy Bob Travis, stand up comedian, best known for his faultless impersonations, even won a ‘most promising new talent’ award some twenty years ago.”
Bates, seated across the inspector and detective Jenny Hudson in the interrogation room, stared back impassively at Henderson. Nothing in his demeanor betrayed that he was still reeling with shock at being arrested mere minutes after he’d called Madame Lachapelle in St. Cyr to assure her that all was well – that Lois Lane had even made an appearance the previous afternoon. He hadn’t mentioned that the Lane woman was pregnant and obviously having a hard time because of it – if the boss lady didn’t know then he, Bates, wasn’t going to enlighten her.
Henderson tapped on a sheet of paper lying on the table in front of him and continued, “It’s amazing what a simple fingerprint can conjure up, Billy Bob. Where was I… oh yes, your career… as much as you tried, you didn’t make it into the movies. They already had Jim Carrey and even I agree, one of him is more than enough. That’s when you decided to go moonlighting as a burglar and got yourself arrested. You did your time, then resumed your career as a comedian on luxury cruise ships. I bet that’s where Mindy Church met you – on the same boat where she met and married her late husband, Yves Lachapelle. Am I right?”
If Bates was surprised at hearing Mindy’s name he didn’t show it and Henderson grinned, nodding admiringly, “You’ve really got that butler thing down pat, Billy Bob! No wonder you were able to fool a shrewd businessman like Gordon Keyes. That’s why you’re perfect for the role I have in mind for you. By the way, did you know we’ve also arrested Mike Costanza? Poor guy - Detective Hudson here tells me he used to be a nice family man and a good civil servant.”
“But then he got swayed by big bucks and decided to join Mindy Church’s construction racket.” Jenny Hudson added, “He’s singing like a canary - told us all about ‘Butch’ Warner and Ian Beddington. You killed those two guys, didn’t you?”
“Me?!” Hearing two murders being pinned on him instantly jolted Bates out of his role as Bertram the butler. “I had nothing to do with that!”
“I know,” Henderson continued imperturbably, “That was Alan Cornell’s handiwork, wasn’t it? But since he’s not here I can make it stick – unless you cooperate with me. It’s Mindy Church I’m after - you deliver her to me and I’ll offer you a very sweet deal.”
“Inspector, there’s still that butler he’s murdered.“ Jenny Hudson helpfully offered.
“That wasn’t me, either.” Bates glowered at Detective Hudson. What was up with this woman! She kept trying to pin murders on him. He decided to ignore her and deliberately turned to face Bill Henderson, addressing him directly.
“Inspector, Alan Cornell helped me with the abduction of the butler and took the man with him. I don’t know what he did with him and frankly, I don’t care. But if you know Cornell as well as you say you do, you sure won’t find that butler alive.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
Henderson carefully hid his anger at the callous and matter of fact way Bates confirmed what he’d been afraid to hear - that there was little chance that they would find John Kincaid alive. He forced himself to remain calm and collected and just shrugged indifferently as he continued, “And you’re right – we know all about Mrs. Lachapelle’s drugs trafficking pilot Alan Cornell. Did you know that the DEA in Miami has been following his comings and goings for quite some time? They’re welcome to him – it’s Mindy Church I’m after. The trouble is, we can’t touch her as long as she stays on that blasted island. And that’s where you come in, Billy Bob, you’re going to lure her into Metropolis for me.”
“Depends on the deal, inspector.”
“Oh, you’ll take it, all right!” Henderson snarled. Suddenly moving as quickly as a cobra going in for the kill, Bill lurched across the table, hauling Bates up by the collar of his shirt. “It’s not negotiable, Billy Bob – but if it’s not to your liking, just say so and I’ll slap those three murders on you before you’ve had a chance to cry ‘Mindy’!”
*****
Excited, Mindy Lachapelle slammed down the phone. She jumped up and ran onto the sun-drenched terrace, staring into the direction of the airstrip, her mind going over the phone conversation she’d just had with Bertram Bates. She hadn’t expected him to accomplish the difficult task of killing Lois Lane and Clark Kent – and capturing Superman – so soon! Frankly, she’d thought it would’ve taken ages and she had even taken into account that he might fail on all three points. Well, it looked like Bates was worth every one of the one million dollars he’d demanded for this job. She doubted that Alan Cornell would’ve been as successful. Sure, he was the more ruthless of the two men, but Bates was the one who effortlessly blended in with any crowd.
Mindy still blessed the night she’d caught Billy Bob Travis - officially the ship’s comedian - sneaking into one of the luxurious huts on board of the cruise ship. That day Mindy had just found out that Yves Lachapelle was a very rich widower and she hadn’t been able to sleep – her brain had been too busy trying to figure out how to get acquainted with the debonair millionaire. She hadn’t been able to sleep and had walked up and down the deserted deck in the middle of the night, trying to come up with a foolproof plan.
When Billy Bob Travis had crept out of the hut with his loot he’d looked into the barrel of a gun, held by the small, impeccably manicured hand of a beautiful, buxom blonde with a malicious smile around her pouty lips and a breathy, sugary voice. He didn’t have a choice but to team up with her, but it had worked out so well for both of them that he had stayed on in her employ as her multi talented butler, Bertram Bates.
Together with Alan Cornell, a drugs trafficking pilot whom he’d met during his days in prison, Bates had helped her to replace the original staff at the Lachapelle estate in St. Cyr. In the years that followed Mindy had come to value his assistance and sometimes his advice. So when Bates had phoned her and told her excitedly that he had already killed Lane and Kent and was holding Superman prisoner, an elated Mindy had readily believed him.
When she’d asked Bertram how he’d managed to lure all three of her greatest arch enemies up into the hills to that abandoned log cabin of her late husband Bill Church, Bates had grinned gleefully and said, “Don’t ask – it’s quite a story. I’ll tell you all about it when you’re here. You just have to come – trust me, this is a spectacle you don’t wanna miss!”
Mindy took a deep breath and made a decision. Bertram was right - this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She walked back into the house and picked up the phone. Alan Cornell would need time to get the plane ready and do whatever was needed to fly her to Metropolis. Drat it! The line was busy. Impatiently Mindy stared in the direction of the hangar. Without Bates around to do her bidding she would have to go and find Cornell herself. She jammed her sunglasses on her nose and started walking purposefully in the direction of the hangar.
Mindy rolled her eyes when she was heralded by telltale noises – trust Cornell to have one of the maids in there with him! She debated whether to interrupt them but decided to wait. She needed the pilot for this mission and when the time came to leave she much preferred to have him sated and well rested.
Mindy turned on her heels and walked back to the house. She glanced at the expensive watch on her wrist - there was still time. It would take them about four hours to fly into Metropolis and another hour and a half by car to reach the cabin where Bates would be waiting for them.
The short walk in the blistering sun had scorched her throat and Mindy walked into the breakfast room to pour herself a glass of water. The house was quiet – it was still siesta time and all creatures, except the lady of the house, were resting. Thirstily, Mindy gulped down the water and walked back onto the terrace and sat down on the colorful cushions of a rattan chair.
Oh, good – there was the maid already, half running towards the house, hastily adjusting her clothes. Mindy decided to give Alan Cornell another ten minutes to get his bearings before she’d call him – no need to let him know she’d seen what he’d been up to.
Mindy left the terrace and purposely walked into the house again and up the stairs towards her bathroom where she changed into a skimpy, colorful bikini. The excitement and anticipation of what was to come was almost making her jump out of her skin - she was going to take a long, vigorous swim. But first, she’d better call Alan to get the plane ready. Mindy picked up the phone and dialed Cornell’s number.
*****
“Kent! In my office – now!”
“Coming, Chief! Take care, Jimmy, talk to you soon.”
Clark jumped up from the chair next to Jimmy’s desk where he’d parked himself just a minute ago. When he’d entered the newsroom he’d seen Perry sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone, with the door of his office left wide open.
Jimmy had called out to him as soon as he’d stepped out of the elevator so Clark had stopped by his desk; obviously Jimmy wanted to talk about the ‘really great time, CK’ he’d had the previous day at his Mom’s ‘pie tasting’ party. Clark had barely made himself comfortable when Perry barked his impatient command.
Lois and Clark had just finished their leisurely lunch with Lucy and Lucas when Perry had called. An emergency at the Planet, Clark had explained and excused himself, promising to be back on time to take their guests to the airport.
Lois had protested – no need for that. He’d better say his goodbyes now and she, together with her mother, would see Lucy and Lucas off. The couple had protested – they could easily take a cab; but Lois wouldn’t hear of it.
So Clark had stayed long enough to hear Ellen Lane confirm over the phone that she’d be delighted to accompany Lois to the airport. She promised Clark they would take a cab – no need to join the heavy traffic to and from the airport by driving themselves.
Clark had hugged and kissed Lucy goodbye and, while clasping Lucas’s hand, had told the other man, “Do it!” Making Lois raise her eyebrows and stare speculatively at Lucas’s suddenly embarrassed face. And when Clark had kissed her lingeringly and whispered into her ear, ‘Later, honey, I’ll tell you all about it later.”, Lois had known that he wasn’t referring to just the meeting he was about to have in Perry’s office
****
“Well, Clark – that was Gareth on the phone. He’s coming over right now and Bill Henderson should be here any minute too – Ah! There he is already… Jimmy! See to it that we’re not disturbed; Mr. Keyes is the only person you can let through, y’hear? We’ll be in the conference room.”
“Sure, Chief.” Jimmy Olsen shook his head and grinned. Even though he’d now been promoted to Head of the Research Department with three people working for him and thus in a managerial position himself, Perry pretty much treated him just like before – barking unexpected commands at him and sending him off on all kind of errands; Jimmy, however, was quickly learning to delegate some of these to his own staff.
Jimmy looked pensively at the now firmly closed door of the conference room. Whatever was going on must be pretty big. The Chief had acted like a cat on a hot tin roof all day. Undoubtedly, the Chief and CK would fill him in later. He wasn’t of any use to them anyway - not as long as he still had this cursed cast around his leg.
Jimmy sighed resignedly and turned to face his computer screen, meanwhile keeping a watchful eye out for anyone who would dare walk towards the Chief’s office.
*****
“Clark, you’re sure you can reach Superman on time?”
“Bill, just tell me what time he has to be in that cabin. He’ll be there.”
“I can’t let someone impersonate him, Clark, that won’t work. We do need the genuine article, so to speak. He can’t just get up and fly off in the middle of all this because there’s an earthquake somewhere. Does he understand that?”
“Yes, he does, Bill. He wants those criminals caught just as badly as we do.”
“And you’ve told him that there’s a chance that Mindy Church might have more Kryptonite and bring that along? Bates said he’s pretty sure that the tie-pin and the chunk we found on him are all she had, but you never know.”
Clark stuffed his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. “Superman knows, Bill, and he’s willing to take that risk.”
“Just checking, Clark, just checking.”
Perry glanced at Clark and back at Bill Henderson. The inspector sat in front of Perry’s desk while Clark and Gareth, both too nervous to sit down, alternately paced up and down the conference room.
Clark took a deep breath and said slowly, “If Mindy Church brings along Kryptonite, Superman will let you know when the pain gets unbearable. He’s even come up with a coded message he’ll recite so you’ll know when you’ll have to intervene. As soon as he starts chanting ‘Take me to my Fortress of Solitude’ you’ll have to stop the show, Bill.”
“I know – don’t worry, Clark, Superman will survive.”
Henderson fixed Gareth with a compelling look, “We can’t afford to bungle this, so not a word to your father or anyone else about this, okay? Let’s catch this ‘Black Widow’ and that Cornell guy first. Then maybe you’ll be able to tell your father what exactly did happen to your butler. I’ll personally wring it out of that thug, I promise you that.”
Gareth nodded. “Don’t worry, Inspector. I am very well aware of the gravity of the situation. Clark?”
“Yes?”
“Tell Lois I’m very sorry I ripped into her like that this morning. She hasn’t said so, but I think I know what she was trying to do - she wanted to get that tie-pin off that guy, didn’t she? But her sister was constantly pushing him away, so she didn’t get a chance. I was way out of line getting angry like that. It’s no excuse, I know, but it was such a shock to hear that my father had a killer living under his roof. And John – he wasn’t just my father’s butler, you know, he was part of our family. I’ve known him since I was six… anyway, I hope Lois will be able to forgive me. And you too, Clark.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Gareth - Lois understands and I do too. Don’t worry about it, you’ve got enough on your plate already. It won’t be easy when you’ll have to tell your father what happened to John Kincaid.”
“That’s right,” Bill Henderson stood up and extended his hand towards Gareth. “This will be very rough on your family. Thank you for your cooperation – I appreciate your willingness to keep quiet about all this until we’ve caught those criminals. You can be assured that I - and my team - will do everything that’s in our power to make ‘Operation Mindy’ a successful one tonight.”
“Thanks, Inspector. Don’t worry – I know how to keep my mouth shut. I’m not going to tell my father or my wife about this until you give me the green light.” Gareth shook Henderson’s hand firmly then looked at Perry White. “Sir - thank you for not shutting me out. When this is all over I’m sure my father will want to talk to you – to all of you. I feel a lot better, now that I know what’s going to happen tonight. I’ll be praying that nothing goes wrong with this operation.”
“We’ll all be prayin’, son, we’ll all be prayin’,” Perry said while he too stood up. “Now, you go home to your family. Bill will stay in touch with me and as soon as I’ve heard from him I’ll call you. So keep your phone close to your ear at all times.”
“Yessir.” Gareth shook Perry’s hand and followed Henderson to the door of the conference room with Clark in tow.
“And you, Clark,” Perry called after him, “Tell Superman we’ll be rooting for him. Bill’s given me his word that Superman will not be unduly hurt. Give Lois my love and send her off to bed early, y’hear?”
“Sure, Chief - see you tomorrow.”
****
Mindy Church peered with narrowed eyes through the tinted window of the hired car Alan Cornell was driving. The dirt road to the log cabin wasn’t too bad but there were no ordinary street lights and the car was almost totally shrouded in darkness.
“Alan, I see a light – it’s dim, but it’s there! We’re almost there.”
“I still think this is a very bad idea,” Cornell said sourly as he stared suspiciously towards the dimly lit cabin. He’d tried his best to talk Mindy out of coming here but she’d been determined. What was Billy Bob thinking! It was much too dangerous. That fool just wanted to show off because he had managed to capture Superman. Big deal!
If it had been him, Cornell thought angrily, he’d just have finished the alien off and kept his cape as a souvenir. But some people just needed to be validated once in a while. And that, to Cornell, was what Billy Bob was seeking right now. And as for Mindy – why in the world did she need to see the alien die before her eyes?
Over the phone Billy Bob had told Mindy he’d already killed the Lane woman and her husband and that he needed him, Cornell, to dispose of the bodies and help him erase all evidence that could point at him. Cornell didn’t mind coming into Metropolis to help out, but taking Mindy along was another matter entirely. What if someone recognized her?
But Mindy had been deaf and blind to his arguments. By the time she’d thought about Billy Bob’s proposal and called him, Cornell, to get the plane ready, she had already made up her mind. But she was the boss, so when she’d held her ground he’d given up trying to talk her out of it.
Billy Bob had also told Mindy that it had all been so very easy – much to his own surprise. He’d abducted the woman first and then used her to lure her husband and Superman up the mountain. And that unexpected success had gone to Billy Bob’s head, Cornell thought impatiently.
When they’d landed at the small airstrip near the marina a hired car Billy Bob had arranged for them under a false name had been waiting for them. Mindy, a brunette wig on her head and wearing baggy pants and an oversized sweater with sneakers on her feet, had walked confidently to the counter where a bored looking, gum chewing man had handed her the keys and the necessary papers.
Soon they had been driving out of Hobbs Bay towards the hills. They didn’t notice the numerous eyes stealthily watching them drive away. The Car Rental employee had grabbed a walkie-talkie from under the counter and softly spoken a few words: “Targets arrived. On their way.” He’d then shut off the device and left the small Car Rental office to join the other policemen who’d suddenly surfaced out of nowhere and stormed up the metal stairs leading into Cornell’s plane.
*****
A few hours before Mindy and Cornell arrived, Henderson and his team had set the stage in the cabin. Bill had let all players rehearse their roles over and over until he had been satisfied that they all knew exactly what was expected of them.
When Superman arrived he had handed a small package to inspector Henderson. It contained a glowing piece of green rock, locked in the lead covered box the police had found on Bates when he had been arrested. As soon as he’d confiscated the chunk of Kryptonite, Bill Henderson had taken the rock and the tie-pin to Dr. Bernard Klein at STAR Labs for safe keeping.
Dr. Klein had been more than happy to participate in ‘Operation Mindy’ and for hours he’d been busy, mixing special powders with ordinary green paint until he’d finally succeeded in reproducing the typical glow of real Kryptonite. He’d then selected a piece of ordinary stone in the same shape of Mindy’s piece from STAR Lab’s huge stone collection and coated it with the paint.
It had taken a few layers of paint before Bernie had been satisfied. He’d laid both stones on his desk and taken some photographs with a digital camera. He’d uploaded the photos into his computer and when Superman came to STAR Labs to pick up the bogus Kryptonite, Bernie proudly pointed at his computer screen.
“Look Superman, this is the real Kryptonite – and this is the rock I painted. They look exactly alike. It’s a pity you can’t really look at both rocks together, but I assure you, they look exactly alike.”
Superman had not been able to suppress a little shudder as he’d stared at the screen. Both images glowed menacingly at him.
“I’ll take your word for it, Bernie. Are you sure you put the harmless piece in the box? They do look exactly alike to me.”
“Of course I put the correct stone in the box, Superman. Go ahead, open it. You’d better find out right now, instead of in that cabin.”
Superman had held his breath and gingerly opened the lead covered box. When he’d felt nothing he’d opened it fully, staring down at the first green rock he’d encountered that didn’t render him instantly helpless. He’d let out a relieved sigh and had closed the box, looking at Bernie with an apologetic smile on his face.
“I’m sorry, but Kryptonite still gives me the creeps. This rock looks very real – if this doesn’t fool Mindy Church, I don’t know what will. Thanks for helping us out, Bernie.“
“That’s okay, Superman, as long as you leave my name out of that story you and your wife will undoubtedly write when all this is over. No need to draw attention to myself and my work. Now, be on your way and be careful. Inspector Henderson told me about Mrs. Church and her henchmen – if what he says is correct, then you’re dealing with very dangerous people and it’s high time they were put away.”
****
“Oh, my! If that isn’t Superman himself!”
Mindy’s excited, familiar voice grated on his ears. Superman lifted his head, looking into the direction of the sound. He let his head fall back on the floor and groaned, trashing around feebly. He knew he would have to call upon every little bit of acting talent he possessed to give a convincing performance of a dying Super hero.
Long before the car had arrived at the cabin Superman had spotted Mindy’s approach and so Henderson, acting like a seasoned film director, had been able to put all members of his team, including Bertram Bates, on their marked positions.
A policeman with a slight resemblance to Clark Kent and wearing a business suit over his bullet proof vest, lay on the floor next to Jenny Hudson. Detective Hudson was also wearing a business suit over her bullet proof vest, her blond curls covered by a dark wig to make her look like Lois Lane. Both police officers lay in a corner with their faces down, their backs turned to the rest of the room.
The only light in the cabin was that of a flashlight Bertram Bates was holding in his hand. He had strict orders not to shine the beam at the two disguised police officers, but to keep it pointed at Superman.
When Mindy and Cornell walked in Bates was hovering over Superman, holding the ‘Kryptonite’ in one hand and the flashlight in the other. Mindy ran over to his side and grabbed the flashlight, pointing the beam at Superman’s face and snickering gleefully.
Cornell had stopped, momentarily stunned by the sight of the Super hero, sprawled in the middle of the floor in his entire, colorful splendor. Cornell had read about the alien and watched him on television, but this was the first time he saw him in the flesh. It sure was a spectacle to see, he acknowledged, and suddenly he understood why Mindy had insisted to come to Metropolis.
Never taking his eyes off Superman, Cornell slowly walked up to Bates. He nodded towards the two still figures in the corner and asked, “Those two are Lane and Kent?”
“Yes – stone cold and ready to be buried.”
“Good. So why isn’t he dead yet? You’ve been here with him for hours!”
“Oh, but I’m glad he’s still alive!” Mindy trilled, “Superman, remember me?”
Superman groaned and trashed around some more. He gasped as he tried to focus his eyes on Mindy. “Who… who are you…”
“Superman, don’t act dumb now – I’m Mindy Church! I’ve tried to kill you already, years ago, but that didn’t work - Joey Bermuda turned out to be an amateur. But I’ve got real pro’s working for me now and this time you won’t escape!”
“Why… why are you… doing this to me…” Superman groaned while he tried to reach out a trembling hand towards Mindy.
“Why? I’ll tell you why! You and Lane and Kent destroyed Intergang for me once – but we’re back and I’ll be darned if I’ll let you do it again. With you and those two nosey reporters out of the way I can do big business here in Metropolis.”
“Well, I’m not going to sit here and wait till he’s dead. Let’s get this over with.” Alan Cornell took out his gun, screwed a silencer on and pointed it at Superman.
Suddenly, Bertram Bates saw the opening he’d been hoping for. He needed Cornell to confess to the murders so he wouldn’t be charged with those.
“Hey! This is my call, Alan! I don’t want you to bungle this job just like you bungled killing ‘Butch’. That burning boat was splashed all over the newspapers, remember? Makes me wonder about Beddington – is he really dead? Did you stay to see those alligators finish him off in that swamp you supposedly dumped him in? And that butler – he was alive when you took him away. What did you do to him?”
Cornell whipped around to face Bates. “What’s this all about? What’s gotten into you?” he shouted angrily, “Of course they’re dead! I’ve personally killed them and since you’re too much of a wimp to do the alien in, I’ll kill him for you too!”
Cornell pointed his gun at Superman’s chest and pulled the trigger. Superman groaned and trashed his body around in such a way that the bullet didn’t bounce off his chest in the direction of the two police officers lying on the floor, but right back at Cornell. The bullet missed his leg by an inch and Cornell cursed profusely.
“Boys! Stop your fighting! Alan, put away that gun – that’s not the way to kill Superman! Kryptonite is the only thing that will do it. Apparently it’s working on his insides, because he’s still invulnerable on the outside. I wish I had a bigger piece – this one is rather small and Alan is right, Bertram. We can’t wait here for hours and hours until this weirdo is finally dead.”
Mindy took the ‘Kryptonite’ from Bates and started to walk around Superman’s twitching body, prodding him with her sneakers, laughing maliciously when he groaned loudly when she unexpectedly pointed the rock closely at his chest.
“Poor Superman! It’s time we put you out of your misery, like Lane and Kent over there.
Don’t you worry - I know where we can get more Kryptonite. At STAR Labs!”
At once Mindy became businesslike, giving orders in a curt, commanding voice.
“Bertram, take the car and get all the Kryptonite you can find at STAR Labs and bring it back here. You’re the expert burglar so I’m sure you’ll have no trouble getting past their security system. I’ll stay here with Superman. Alan, in the meantime you can get rid of those two bodies in that corner over there and come back later to pick up Bertram and me. Now move it, you two!”
“I don’t think so,” a soft voice out of the corner reached their ears. Startled, Cornell pointed his gun in the direction of the sound while Mindy gasped when she saw ‘Lois Lane’ and ‘Clark Kent’ sit up, apparently as much alive as she was.
Before Cornell could fire his gun, Superman was up from the floor and the stunned Mindy and Cornell were neatly cuffed, looking dazedly at Bill Henderson who calmly walked in, a small tape recorder in his hand.
“I don’t really need this, you know,” Henderson elaborated, pointing at the device. ‘Not with so many live witnesses around. It’s just a hobby of mine.” He raised his voice, calling out to his crew. “Boys ‘n girls, come out and put up some lights! Take these clowns away, but don’t let them out of your sight. Detective Hudson, please read ‘em their rights.”
“With pleasure, inspector.” Jenny Hudson took off the dark wig and grinned at her partner who stood beside her, slapping the dirt off his pants.
Superman handed over Mindy and Cornell and turned to Bill Henderson. “Inspector, can I go now?”
“Sure, Superman, thanks for your help. You… ”
Superman didn’t stay to hear the rest and shot into the air.
Henderson shook his head and smiled ruefully. “ …did fine!”
****
(Tbc)
